5 Reasons to Get Jiggy at "Twixmas" For Trying to Conceive
For busy Brits, successfully conceiving a baby can be easier said than done. With so many of us working long hours powered by caffeine, as well as dealing with issues like cost of living, we’re boiling over with stress and lack of sleep. Not great for fertility.
But don’t despair if you’re dreaming of starting a family and you’re struggling to find the time or energy, as the perfect time to “get jiggy” is just around the corner.
1) Make the most of ninja sperm - A combination of improved sperm quality and ovum receptivity, in addition to a rise in sexual activity during the winter months helps explain why more babies are conceived around Christmas than at any other time. There’s a study which proves a correlation between changes in the seasons and conception which shows sperm quality often deteriorates during the summer months. It also affects female fertility with changes in daylight length impacting anterior pituitary-ovarian function, the variation in quality of the ovum or endometrial receptivity. So make the most of Santa’s little helpers and hook up.
2) Get brighter kids - There’s some evidence from the US that children born in September perform better at school, so you need to pull more than just a cracker this Christmas if you want to breed a brain box! Researchers analysed data of approximately one million public school children born in Florida from 1994 to 2000 and their findings showed that those few extra months of development prove to be academically beneficial for September-born babies.
3) You have more time to relax - High stress levels can affect fertility, and, understandably, having fertility problems can then lead to further stress. It’s a vicious cycle, but the good news is it’s one that can be broken. Dr Alice McGee, Hoopsy’s clinical content advisor, commented: “Stress hormones can disrupt ovulation as they can affect the communication pathways between the brain and ovaries. The effect of disrupted ovulation can be noticed as difficulty falling pregnant or taking a longer time to conceive. Thankfully, there are ways to keep stress levels in check and under control.
“Being in a relaxed state can help increase your chances of falling pregnant, with one study demonstrating that women involved in a mind-body program compared to their counterparts had a 35% higher chance. So make the most of that golden period between Christmas and the New Year and take some time to relax.”
4) Mindful under the mistletoe - Despite this period being the perfect time to switch off and enjoy all the merriment, this can be easier said than done for some people. If you’re more jittery than jolly at this time of year, try making a plan to kick-start your mindfulness practice. Fertility nurse, Andreia Trigo, founder of Enhanced Fertility, said: “Mindfulness can help people be fully aware of the present moment, and relate to their journey of trying to conceive in a new way. This is beneficial for promoting self-compassion, managing emotions and engaging in fertility-friendly behaviours like eating healthy, being active or feeling sexy which, in turn, may influence quality of life and pregnancy rates.
“Try starting your morning with a three-minute mindfulness meditation, recalling one thing/someone you feel blessed about and one thing you envision working towards in your life. Also, save time for yourself, to do the things you enjoy doing. Between normal life, preparing for Christmas and meeting family and friends, we can easily forget to do this. Finally, express gratitude. At the end of each day, write down three things you feel grateful for that day. This strategy can be helpful all year round but is certainly a must-do during the busy Christmas season.”
5) More time to focus on your goals - Simple fertility practices like tracking your cycle can fall by the wayside when you’re in the throes of everyday life. So use that golden “Twixmas” period to start charting when you ovulate, to really boost your chances of falling pregnant naturally. When your body ovulates an egg is released from one of your ovaries and moves along a fallopian tube towards your uterus ready to be fertilised. Ovulation in most women usually happens once each month, in between your periods and can last from 16 to 32 hours.
There’s a free online ovulation calculator on the Hoopsy website which helps you to work out when you will next be ovulating. It does this by using the first day of your last period and the average length of your cycle. To know 100% for sure when you are ovulating, take your temperature daily and record it on Hoopsy’s fertility tracker sheets which are available free to download.
Suzannah Ross from North Yorkshire, found that trying for a baby during “Twixmas” worked for her. She said: “I really believe being able to switch off and be mindful during that lovely cosy period between Christmas and New Year helped us conceive our second child who is now three. I only started trying in December and it was very easy - I know it would have been down to the fact that I was off work as well as surrounded by family magic and joy. My first wasn’t as easy at all to conceive - she was a totally different story!”
So if you’re looking to try and conceive, make sure you plan in some time to “Christmas and chill”. Crucially, don’t let yourself get too booked up with post-Christmas parties and social gatherings.
To help you with your fertility journey, make sure you stock up on Hoopsy eco pregnancy tests. Made of 99% paper, you can rest assured that when you test to see if you have a little Christmas pud in the oven, you will have reduced your impact on the environment.
ENDS
For more information, images or interviews with founder Lara, contact Emma Gardner emma@weareaubergine.com
Notes to editors
12.5 million home pregnancy tests are completed in the UK each year, causing a shocking amount of plastic waste to be sent to landfill. But Hoopsy is on a mission to change this, with its eco pregnancy tests made of 99% paper.
The tests have an hCG sensitivity of 25mIU/ml and are over 99% accurate from the day of your expected period. Clinical trials have taken place to prove the accuracy and laboratory tests to ensure the sensitivity levels of the tests. It’s also registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The paper test can be cut in half - the part you wee on goes in the bin and the other half in paper recycling. What’s more, the cardboard packaging can be recycled in paper recycling and the pouch the test comes in can be recycled in soft plastics at the supermarket.
Hoopsy pregnancy tests are available in packs of three tests for £14.99 five tests for £22.99 or if you want to be really sure, 10 tests for £39.99. They’re available to buy on the website with free shipping at www.hoopsy.co
Why we love the Hoopsy eco pregnancy test:
Made from 99% paper
Over 99% accurate
Test 5 days before your period is due
Results in 5 minutes
Easy to write on
Less space in landfill versus other tests
Lara’s story
Hoopsy is the brainchild of British woman Lara Solomon, who at the age of 45 and single, decided she wanted to try and have a child. So she embarked on a mission to try and get pregnant.
She had IVF which unfortunately didn’t work as one of her ovaries was diagnosed as peri-menopausal - so she decided to go down the embryo donation route. She settled on having her embryo donation procedure at a clinic in Spain and it was during this she realised how many times women who’re TTC test using plastic pregnancy tests.
After her two embryo transfers in Spain, she headed home to Australia where she had to self isolate in a hotel for 14 days due to Covid rules. It was here she said she used countless pregnancy tests day after day, to see if she was pregnant.
Lara said: “Unfortunately, I got a faint positive test but then miscarried the embryo, which was a traumatic experience - I think I cried for days on end. But something else came to light when I was on my own in the hotel testing - just how many pregnancy tests I was using.”
As a serial entrepreneur, Lara decided to set up Hoopsy. It’s launched in the UK first before being made available in Australia then the US.
